The invention relates to a sanitary installation with a sanitary fitting, at least one electrically actuable device, in particular a solenoid valve, a rechargeable battery, a supply device, comprising a solar cell device, for the battery, and a mirror situated in the vicinity of the sanitary fitting.
In known sanitary installations of this type, the solar cell device is accommodated on the housing of the sanitary fitting. At this location, the solar cell device is unsuitable for reliable operation of a solenoid valve for example, since only a very small supply current is delivered in order to charge the battery and therefore the energy stored in the battery is very limited.
Known sanitary installations of this type still have to be connected therefore to a domestic supply network. This requires the presence of an appropriate network connection in the sanitary area, which is not always guaranteed. Moreover, energy costs are incurred during the operation of a known sanitary fitting of this type.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to develop a sanitary installation of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that reliable operation is guaranteed independently of the domestic supply network.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that the solar cell device is integrated into the mirror.
The invention makes use of the fact that in a room having a mirror it is always necessary for there to be a light source (daylight and/or artificial light) present as well. A small part of the light emitted by this light source in the direction of the mirror is used by means of the solar cell device to operate the sanitary fitting and/or to charge the battery.
The battery, charged by a solar cell device designed in this way, provides sufficient energy for the actuation of the sanitary installation in normal use. The size of the active area of the solar cell device ensures that the battery is recharged. Normal ambient light suffices for this. Daylight or direct incidence of sunlight are not necessary; because of the large usable area for the solar cell device and the generally low energy requirement of the sanitary fitting, artificial illumination of the sanitary area is also sufficient for example.
This is not the case with other designs for charging the battery, for example by utilising the water flow in the sanitary fitting: when the battery is fully discharged, it is no longer possible to use a known sanitary fitting of this type with an electrical supply based on the water flow, since even the energy for opening the solenoid valve is not available.
A battery-charging device which, via Peltier elements, utilises the temperature of the hot water to produce energy also has these disadvantages, since it is likewise dependent on the operation of the sanitary fitting.
The mirror can comprise a frame housing, the solar cell device being integrated into the frame housing. In a design of this type, a fully reflecting commercially available mirror surface can be employed.
Alternatively, the mirror can comprise a partially reflecting coating, the solar cell device being arranged behind the partially reflecting coating. Partially reflecting mirrors of this type are easy to produce. Thus, frameless mirror designs are also possible. Since mirrors generally occupy a relatively large area, only a relatively small part of the light striking the mirror surface needs to be transmitted to obtain energy by means of the solar cell device. The majority of the light striking the mirror surface is therefore available as reflected light.
Preferably, a supply line, which connects the battery to the sanitary fitting, is run in a frame housing, which connects the mirror to the sanitary fitting or to a washstand of the sanitary fitting. This permits in a simple way a visually attractive design of the sanitary installation without obtrusive visible cables.
The solar cell device can have a plurality of solar cell modules. Solar cell module is understood in this context to mean a standard assembly with one solar cell or a plurality of solar cells. The solar cell modules are designed in such a way that they can be electrically connected to one another in a series of different relative positions. In this way, a solar cell device of any desired size and shape can be constructed. When using solar cell modules of this type, different mirrors and/or frame sizes can therefore be fitted with the solar cell device.